Daniel Parent, a local flying club member, has been identified as the pilot killed when a small plane crashed near Saint-Georges airport after taking part in a Remembrance Day ceremony south of Quebec City.

The City of Saint-Georges confirmed his identity Thursday, Global News reported. Mayor Manon Bougie offered condolences and said flags would be lowered to half-mast at city hall and the airport.

Parent was the only person aboard the aircraft when it went down around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to Quebec provincial police, known as the SQ. He was declared dead at the scene. Police described him as a man in his 60s who lived in the region.

SQ spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said Parent had been flying with several other aircraft before the crash. He was approaching the airport to land when his plane came down in a wooded area nearby. The aircraft caught fire after impact.

Transportation Safety Board investigators have been deployed to the scene to gather information and assess what happened. The reporting did not identify a cause for the crash.

Bilodeau said the SQ’s major crime unit was also investigating for any possible criminal elements, while noting that crashes of this kind are rarely linked to a crime.

The Canadian Armed Forces told Global News that the aircraft was not military-owned and that no CAF personnel were involved.

“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the pilot who tragically lost their life,” the CAF said in a statement, extending condolences to everyone affected.

National Defence Minister David McGuinty also expressed condolences to Parent’s family and loved ones, saying his thoughts were with those affected by the tragedy.

Saint-Georges is roughly 100 kilometres southeast of Quebec City.

Sources